The Trouble With Paradise
by auslly4eva22
Summary: Sequel to Here We Go Again. Finally Mack, Brady, Lela, Tanner and the rest are living in complete happiness, almost like they're in paradise. But here's the trouble with paradise – it doesn't exist. Sooner or later everything will come crashing down – but who will be left picking up the pieces? Read HWGA first – you won't understand this story unless you do.
1. Soft Drinks And Secret Affairs

**I'm baaaack! Ok so I know I said the sequel would be posted within the next few days but, well, put it this way. Today I spent almost a full hour trying to beat the final level of a Teen Beach Movie game and was in my pajamas until 4pm… my social life isn't exactly bursting. My best friend Charlie is on a holiday and my friend Alexis (whom I mentioned in Here We Go Again) was working and I was bored out of my mind so I figured might as well get this story started. Here goes, attempt number too at making a successful fanfiction. The first one worked out pretty well, let's see how the second one goes. **

**Enjoy! **

Chapter One:

Brady's P.O.V

"We are officially done with high school!" I cried, earning an enthusiastic applause from everyone.

It was Friday night and eleven months had passed since the Wet Side Story gang had left California. That day had been mine and Mack's finale day of year twelve, and the graduation celebration had started an hour ago but Mack and I had taken advantage of the large crowd of parents moving to exit the auditorium after the diplomas had been handed out and snuck out to the beach, changed out of our fancy formal wear and into our swimwear in the bushes and headed out to Wet Side Story.

Drinking soft drinks and listening to music from 1962 blare from jukebox in the corner of Big Mamas was much more appealing than some uptight fancy graduation celebration.

Lela and Tanner were the last to arrive, understandingly having to find a babysitter first. A sense of dread hit me as I made eye contact with Lela. I knew I had to talk to her, but I couldn't bring myself to say what needed to be said.

The outfit she'd picked certainly wasn't making things any easier. Part of me wanted to believe it was a coincidence, but a much bigger part of me knew it wasn't.

A much bigger part of me knew she'd intentionally chosen her Minnie Mouse styled dress, the flowing red dress with white polka dots that she'd been wearing the night we'd first met, the night she'd fallen from the stage and into my arms.

She and Tanner waltzed across the floor hand in hand to the booth where the nine of us were squeezed in. Brady and Giggles were side by side on one side of the booth and SeaCat and Chee Chee were seated on the other side. Mack, SeaCat and I were sitting on top of the table and Lugnut and Struts (who had recently started seeing each other) were perched on the ledge between SeaCat and Chee Chee's seat and the wall. Struts blew the pair a kiss squished up closer to Lugnut and enthusiastically patted the spot beside her. Lela jumped up onto the ledge while Tanner hoped up onto the table with us.

"Congrats guys." Tanner praised. Mack and I shared a smirk. Recently, we'd started introducing our friends from the sixties to modern day slang like 'congrats' and 'whateves' and 'yolo' and so on, and the surfers especially had taken a liking to it.

"Next round of soft drinks on me." Lela announced, jumping back up. Seeing my chance, I quickly followed with "I'll go with you."

Lela smiled and I forced myself to return it, even though my heart was racing and my stomach was lurching.

We walked in silence towards the bar and Lela ordered the eleven soft drinks. While the bartender disappeared to get the drinks I forced words out of my dry mouth.

"Lela we need to talk."

Lela hesitated.

"About?"

I glared at her.

"You know what about."

The bartender returned and passed Lela the tray of drinks, which she accepted with a thankyou and a fake smile.

"Like, now." I enforced once the bartender had moved off to deal with another customer.

"Brady, this is yours and Mack's graduation party. Can't it wait?"

"No. It can't."

Lela looked up at me with such innocent eyes that I almost felt guilty, but I stood my ground.

"Fine." She sighed. "Think of an excuse and we'll go talk outside."

I thought as the two of us returned to the booth, and by the time we got there I'd come up with something.

"Damn it! I left my watch back in California. I really need it, I don't usually go anywhere without it."

Mack raised an eyebrow.

"No babe I'm pretty sure it's in your back pocket. I remember you put it in the waterproof pocket of your board shorts before we got in the water."

"No…" I shook my head even though I knew she was exactly right. "I don't remember that. I'm going to head back and grab it real quick. Back in a moment it."

I raised my eyebrows at Lela, who saw her cue.

"Oh I'll go with you. I've been cooped up in the house with the twins for weeks on end. Even a small outing like that will do me good."

"Umm ok…." Mack said cautiously.

"Back soon." I announced quickly before she had time to protest any further.

Lela and I navigated around the crowded bar and outside into the open night air.

"I'm guessing we aren't actually going back to California?" Lela sighed once we'd walked a fair distance from Big Mamas along the beach.

"Unless you can see a point to that, no."

We fell quiet again before I finally stopped walking, forcing Lela to stop as well.

"This has to stop." I said firmly, deciding to simply come straight out of it.

"Why?" Lela asked in a small voice.

"It's wrong Lela and you know it."

"No." Lela looked up and met my gaze. "I mean why now? This has been going on pretty much since the twins were born. Like four months. We've both known it was wrong since it started. I mean you're in a relationship with Mack and not only am I married but I'm a mother. Our relationship has been completely inappropriate from the word go. What's changed so suddenly?"

I stared off into the distance, not really wanting Lela to know the truth, but I couldn't think of a convincing enough lie. She was completely right. I couldn't really remember how it had all started now, only that it started the day Mack and I came back to Wet Side Story for the first time in seven months and met the twins for the first time ever. One moment we were clucking over the gorgeous three day old babies, the next Tanner was out showing Mack his old board he'd polished and repainted and fixed up to give as a thankyou gift to her – Lela had insisted she wouldn't have coped anywhere near as well as she had had it not been for Mack's support- and Lela and I were on the couch in a heated make-out session. How we got there I've no idea, only that we never got a chance to talk about since we were only broken apart by the sound of our partners returning, and our attempt at talking on mine and Mack's following visit only ended in another make-out session. Since then on each and every time Mack and I visited Lela and I simply acted –and even felt- as though we were nothing more than friends, but always found at least half an hour alone to act as a little more than friends. We never spoke about it, after all, what would we say? We didn't love each other, we were both heavily in love with other people and were betraying those people in every way, but yet couldn't find a way to stop.

Until now.

"You really want to know the truth?" I sighed.

"I just want to know why you've suddenly decided to cut us off. I know it's long overdue, I just want to know where the burst of random motivation came from."

I hesitated, feeling the reason behind my decision was rather personal but Lela deserved a decent explanation.

"Fine. Mack and I had sex for the first time the other day and it really made me realize that she's who I love. Every second this goes on is one more second I'm second-guessing my love for her and I don't want to do that anymore."

Lela pursed her lips together.

"So where do we go from here?"

Of the millions of kisses Lela and I must have shared over the previous months, I figured one more would make no difference, so I leant forward and gently touched her lips with my own. We held the kiss for about three seconds before I pulled away and tried to ignore how pretty she looked under the moonlight.

"We forget this ever happened."

Lela chewed her lip.

"So we don't tell Tanner and Mack?"

"Absolutely not."

**Nothing has changed people, it's still the same deal. You review, and I update. Xxxx **


	2. Mack: Prostegious And Proper Since Never

**Wow, that's the most reviews I've ever gotten on the first chapter of a story! Thanks lovelies! This chapter is fairly long, about 1,600 words which is quite long compared to my average chapter of about a thousand words. Whether it's a good thing or a bad thing this is a long chapter I'll let you decide. Enjoy! Also, some of you were a little confused at my multiple mention of soft drinks last chapter. As I have mentioned before, I'm Australian, and we call sodas soft drinks. **

Chapter Two

Mack's P.O.V

"Oh sweetheart what do you think of this one? This one's rather nice… very rich and…. Mack? Mack! Are you even listening to me?"

"What?" I snapped out of my daydream and back to the present day. Aunt Antoinette was blinking at me expectantly, holding out the tray of bread strips and dips.

"Huh? Oh… Oh yeah that one's delicious." I lied.

She narrowed her eyes.

"Did you even try it?"

I smirked at my grandfather.

"Nope. Nor do I even know which one you're talking about." I giggled.

"McKenzie this is serious!" She pursed her lips and put her hands on her hips, challenging my gaze.

"How is helping you choose dips for your fancy house party important?"

Aunt Antoinette sighed.

"Had you been listening when I'd explained the purpose for my visit this morning you would have understood. It's not just a house party, but the party where I will introduce you to some of my colleagues who are now professors. You are still interested in getting into a good college, aren't you?"

I'd barely taken my eyes off my phone screen all morning, mindlessly popping dips into my mouth, too distracted to taste anything and robotically telling my Aunt they were great while focusing all of my attention into texting Brady. Apparently, this was annoying Aunt Antoinette.

In one swift move she snatched my phone and slipped it into my back pocket.

"Umm…. Excuse me? I was in the middle of a conversation!"

Not a very important one since the two hour long text conversation I'd been having with my boyfriend basically consisted of him complaining about being stuck babysitting again and me complaining about being stuck trying dips, but she didn't need to know that.

"Where were you last night?" She demanded, ignoring my complaints about having my phone taken away.

"At the graduation thingy." I lied.

"You were not. You were there for the awards ceremony, but you never signed in for the after party."

"And? Is that such a big deal? I'll go to prom. Isn't that more important?"

"No McKenzie it isn't! This was your senior graduation! What could have been more important than attendance?"

After Brady and I had left Wet Side Story when it was around 1am, time instantly resumed and we were thrown back to 8pm, the time we'd left. The after party had only just started and we probably could have gone back but we'd just come from a dimension where it was one 'o' clock in the morning – we were pretty tired. So instead we headed back to our old spot and slept underneath the stars again, just as we had that night Struts had hosted a date for a surfer in my house.

I looked at my grandfather to see if I was actually in trouble for ditching our on graduation, but he had a playful smirk lingering on his face, obviously thinking, as I was, that Aunt Antoinette was overeating.

I shrugged.

"The beach." I said casually. "Brady and I went surfing."

Ok, so that was a lie, but it wasn't really that far from the truth. We actually went back in time fifty-one years to have soft drinks in a bar with characters from a movie….. ok, so maybe it was completely far from the truth, but at least it gave Brady and I an excuse to be on the beach.

Aunt Antoinette exhaled heavily and pinched the skin at the top of her nose.

"Mack, you talked me out of taking you away from California, away from that boyfriend of yours, away from the sun and surf and all the other distractions but I thought in exchange you would work just as hard here as you were going to at the prestigious school!"

"Would you relax? It's just a fancy dinner and a few dances. Prom's the important night. Just be glad Brady talked me into going to that."

"Prom is important but not nearly as important as your graduation McKenzie." I could hear my Aunt's voice become flustered with frustration.

"I went to the ceremony and got my diploma, but I'd much rather celebrate leaving high school with my boyfriend on the beach. That's who I am and I'm sorry if you have a problem with that."

Grandpa's smirk broadened into a grin, and I could tell he was quite impressed at my choice of words, especially since his second born daughter seemed to be at a loss for words.

"Just finish trying the dips and tell me what's your favorite. We'll be setting out bread, crackers and dip as a snack while the main food is being prepared, hence being the first thing the professors will eat at the party, hence being a big part of the first impression we make. So please take this seriously!"

"Yes Aunt Antoinette." I mumbled, hoping that if I just went along with it she'd give me my phone back.

I got my wish. After five minutes of trying dips that were too rich, too sour, too strong, too flavorless, too thick and not a single one that I liked, though I forced myself to make a least one positive comment about each selection, she slid my phone onto the table in front of me. The screen was flashing.

_Three new messages_

I tapped the envelope icon and my screen opened up to my inbox. The first thing I saw was my most recent message to Brady, then three messages he'd sent me in response.

_10.07am _

_Me – Stop complaining about babysitting! You should come over here and deal with my Aunt! I'm getting a lecture about ditching grad last night. And I'm being forced to stomach almost inedible prestigious dips. I'd rather be looking after your adorable siblings! _

_10.08am_

_Brady – This is why I luv U. U use big words I don't understand like 'inedible' and 'prestigious'_

_10.12am_

_Brady – U still there babe? _

_10.14am _

_Brady – Hello? _

I typed my reply.

_10.16am _

_Me- Sorry Aunt Antoinette took my phone. I'm now being forced to compliment said prestigious inedible dips. BTW sweetie, inedible = Unable to be eaten. Prestigious = fancy and uptight_

I dipped a strip of bread into one of the only two dips I hadn't tried and was surprised to find it was actually nice.

"Have a favorite yet dear?" Aunt Antoinette asked, perfectly on cue.

"Mmm, that one. Defiantly that one." Silently in my head, I added _that's the only dip my stomach has had the urge to push back up. _

My phone let out a chime and my Aunt shot me a warning glare, which I ignored and opened the new message anyway.

_10.17am _

_Brady – Haha well U certainly sound like UR having the time of UR life. And ohh makes sense now. _

I couldn't help but smile.

_10.18am _

_Me – Don't worry I'll save you some. _

_10.19am _

_Brady – Oh how kind of U, but really, it's ok. _

_10.20am _

_Me – Gee thanks _

_10.22am _

_Brady – Jas just go home. Meet at beach in 5? _

Brady was of course referring to his older sister Jasmine, who was often on babysitting duty but was quite irresponsible and if it were up to me I certainly wouldn't be leaving my kids in her care as much as Brady's mum Harper did, but I wasn't a single full time working mum with five children so it wasn't really my call.

_10.23am_

_Me – Almost done trying inedible food (see previous message for definition of 'inedible') will try and get away._

_10.24am_

_Brady- Awesome. C U there beautiful. _

I swallowed hard.

"Umm, Aunt Antoinette are we done here? I have… study group."

Grandpa coughed loudly behind me. I turned to find him raising his eyebrows at me. I turned back to my Aunt but held my phone up behind my back so my grandfather could read Brady's message asking us to meet. Taking the hint, he joined in.

"That's right Antoinette. 10.30am Saturdays Mack's high school hosts a study group. Last one of the year today, and for Mack it will be her last ever. You know Mack, very studious, loves her study group. It would be an awful shame if she missed her last day of it."

I shot Grandpa a grateful smile for his persuasive words that were sure to win my mother's sister over.

"Fine. Go ahead. I'm staying over the weekend by the way McKenzie and I know your grandfather lets you run wild but that won't be the case while I'm around. Home. Straight after study group."

"Yes Aunt." I muttered obediently, swinging my handbag over my shoulder.

I pulled my phone back out and composed another message to Brady as I was walking out the door.

_10.27am _

_Me – Damn! Just found out Aunt Awful is staying with us the weekend and taking the reins! She's running the show so I'm going to have to go to major levels of deception if I want to do anything this weekend_

Brady's message was one that made me laugh quite heavily.

_10.28am _

_Brady – Mack, I luv U, so much, and I wld neva ask U 2 change, but can U PLZ SPEAK ENGLISH? _

_10.29am _

_Me – What like you do when you text? _

_10.30am _

_Brady – That doesn't count. U can still interrupt it! I have no clue what U R saying! USE SMALLER WORDS!_

_10.31am _

_Me – Fine. Aunt Antoinette is staying with us for the weekend. She's decided she's in charge. Meaning I will have to come up with some convincing lies if I want to see you because you aren't exactly her favorite person (no offense), starting now. Just left. She thinks I'm at study group. _

_10.32am _

_Brady – Damn badass! Does our school even have a study group? _

_10.33am _

_Me- Probably not. See you soon. Xoxox _

_10.34am _

_Brady – Ok gorgeous girl XXXXX C ya soon _

However, had I known the events that would take place at the beach that day, I would have turned around and ran back home.

I'd take Aunt Antoinette and her annoying rules over what happened next any day. 

**Ok thoughts on this chapter? Options' are appreciated so please review! **


	3. Next Time, Take A Life Jacket

**Ok guys so I decided to update again because I'm having a pretty bad day and writing this story is a good distraction, as is reading positive reviews. **

Chapter Three

Brady's P.O.V

I whistled loudly to attract Mack attention as I noticed her arrive onto the crowed beach. Her brunette locks were in two messy plaits and her eyes were hidden behind her large sunglasses. She was dressed in the red sundress I'd bought her for Christmas and a pair of white and pink striped thongs. Her black bikinis were peeking out the top of her dress. Her whole outfit was a sure sign she'd never had any intention of staying and planning the dinner party of whatever with her Aunt, and the beach had always been her planned destination.

"Hey stranger. Nice dress." I cooed as she approached me.

"Thanks." She clucked, playing along. "My boyfriend bought it for me."

"Well your boyfriend sounds amazing." I smirked.

She returned my smirk.

"Nah, he's kind of a douche."

"Hey!" I cried, playfully slapping her across the arm while she erupted into giggles.

"But I'm going to be nice to him today." She added. "Cause I need to borrow his surfboard. I kind of lied to my Aunt about my whereabouts so I couldn't grab it on the way out."

I made clicking noise with my tongue as Mack slid her glasses off her eyes and on top of her head.

"Is that so?" I folded my arms across my chest as Mack batted her eyelids a few times. "And what happens if he refuses to give it to you?"

Mack shrugged.

"Huh well then I'll just have to steal it."

"Yeah, good luck with that one."

"Thanks! But I don't really think I need it. It might be more appropriate for me to wish my boyfriend good luck on getting it back."

"Wait what?" I spun around to find the surfboard that had previously been lying behind me was now tucked underneath Mack's right foot.

She'd been sliding it closer to her our entire conversation.

"Damn your good!"

We both laughed and, breaking our characters of strangers who didn't know each other, leant forward and shared a hello kiss.

"Ok. What do you want to do first?" I asked, slipping both her hands into mine.

"Can we just chill out on the beach for now?"

"Sure. Oh my mum made cookies. Want one?"

"Yes!" She cried, her enthusiasm actually making me jump a little.

"I've spent the past two hours trying dips that taste like puke, out-of-date milk and a combination between Brussels sprouts and rotten cheese. I need something that actually tastes decent." She justified.

I smiled and laid out my beach towel. We sat side by side and I passed her a small container of chocolate chip biscuits, which she accepted without hesitation.

We chatted for about half an hour until the cookies had been polished off, then decided we'd go swimming and later surfing, when the waves got a little bigger.

Mack took out her water bottle and took a long sip, then offered some to me, which I refused. She tugged her sundress over her head to reveal a tight fitting black bikini and slid her hand into mine. Hand in hand, we took off down the shore and into the ocean.

The water was beautiful, not freezing cold but not hot either, just refreshing. Mack and I swam out away from the rest of the swimmers. We continued to swim out to deeper waters until neither of us could touch the bottom and the crowd were way off in the distance.

The waves were starting to pick up and one was coming approximately every ten seconds. We stayed close and began our random conversation again, ducking underneath the surface as each wave crashed over our heads.

Then something happened.

Unsurprisingly, the topic of our conversation had steered itself back in the direction of Wet Side Story.

"We should go out there today!" Mack insisted. "When the waves become big enough."

I'd practically ignored Lela all night after our break-up –if you could even call it that- and I wasn't sure I was ready to see her again just yet.

"We went yesterday. We normally only go once every two or three weeks."

"Yeah I know that but I _need_ to escape my Aunt. How about – wave. Duck!"

We both did as the wave passed overhead. Once it had gone over I popped my head back up, wiped the water off my face and opened my eyes.

But Mack was still underwater.

The water was too dark and gloomy to see what was happening underneath it.

"Mack? Mack?" I called.

Nothing.

It took me a moment to realize the whooshing type noise wasn't the next wave building up, but the sound of desperate limbs thrashing underwater. Just as the next wave crashed overhead I ducked back down and opened my eyes.

I could hardly see, but I could see just enough to be able to make out a slim, tall silhouette thrashing violently in the water, struggling, to keep her body afloat and looking as though she was trying her hardest to reach the surface, but in spite was slowly sinking.

"Mack!" I cried, though I was underwater so it only came out as inaudible jumble.

I reached out and grabbed onto her wrist in one hand and her ankle in the other and used all my strength to pull her upwards. As we hit the surface I quickly changed my position, so Mack was now laying bridal style in my arms.

"Mack what happened?"

She coughed a couple of times, traces of seawater dribbling from her mouth.

"I…. I really… I…. I don't know. I don't, I don't know what happened….. I just, I just couldn't swim all… all of a sudden." She stuttered. "I… Brady help….. I can't feel my limbs."

"Alright just relax." I persuaded although my own heart was beating in my ears. What did she mean she couldn't feel her limbs?

I wrapped both her arms around my neck and used my right arm to support her waist, and I waved my left arm above my head, desperately seeking the attention of the lifeguards.

Mack's eyes flickered closed, then opened, then closed again.

"Mack?" I gently shook her to keep her from slipping into unconsciousness.

She made a slight grumbling noise in response but didn't open her eyes. The lifeguards had finally caught sight of us and one of them was bouncing across the water on a jet ski towards us.

"Mack? Mack?" I was flailing and struggling to hold both mine and my girlfriend's body weight as it was, but I forced myself to bounce up and down so Mack was still moving and her chance of losing consciousness was reduced.

The lifeguard arrived around twenty seconds later.

"What happened?" He asked, his eyes widening in concern at Mack's limp body.

"I have no idea." I admitted. "One minute we were talking , then next she was drowning. I rescued her and then she started saying she couldn't feel her arms or legs. I don't know if she's awake or not."

The lifeguard helped me transport Mack's weight off of me and onto the jet ski. After quick examination the lifeguard concluded she'd lost consciousness and ushered me onto the jet as well, instructing me to keep Mack's head up and her back straight as we took off.

I had no idea what had caused the sudden shocking turn of events, but I can tell you this.

The cause of it was the last thing I would have expected.

**Ok guys thanks for all the reviews so far! Eight reviews for an update? Also, let me tell you something. When I started writing Here We Go Again, here was my plan for the story: The Wet Side Story gang get stuck in the modern day... oh you're waiting for me to continue? Might be waiting a while! That was literally it! All the other drama kind of just happened, a random idea would hit me and I would just go with it. I actually thought of making Lela pregnant while reading another TBM fanfic in which Butchy gets pregnant (no I didn't understand it either!) **

**The point I am trying to make is that the idea for Drew (who turned out to have much more involvement in the story then originally planned) was inspired for a review suggesting that either Mack or Brady's ex turned up and the other got jealous and thought they still had feelings for their ex. Just reading that I was suddenly hit with the idea of Drew so yeah if you have any suggestions at all they will be read and considered! Xxxxx **


	4. Overdose

**Ok I actually don't have an introductory authors note….. so on with the chapter **

Chapter Four

Mack's P.O.V

I blinked a few times as my eyes struggled to adjust to the bright overhead lights.

I shifted in an uncomfortable plastic covered bed and took in my surroundings. I was in a plain room with off cream walls and no furnishing other than a small bedside table. As I sat up and came a little more to my senses I realized it wasn't a bedside table, but a table nursing hospital equipment, including a plastic bag containing a clear fluid with a tube attached to it, that was running the length of my bed and was inserted underneath a bandaged in the crook of my arm.

"Oh good you're awake." A chirpy voice with a southern accent drawled. I flinched. I hadn't even realized anyone was in the same room as me.

It took me another few minutes to come to terms with why I was in a hospital room, until the events of the beach came flooding back.

"What time is it? How long was I out for?" I gushed.

The women, who was dressed in scrubs and presumably my nurse, made a tsssk noise with her tongue.

"Three hours? We admitted you at eleven 'o' clock this morning, your stomach was pumped by eleven-thirty, what time is it now?" She paused to check her watch. "Oh yes it's just past two. About three hours darlin'."

Something in my facial expression must have represented my shock, because quickly the blonde-haired nurse added "Compared to some cases of this, that isn't that long, really darlin'."

I shook my head.

"No, no it isn't that. Why did you pump my stomach?"

The nurse's eyes misted and she starred at me very sympathetically, like an animal lover starring at a homeless puppy.

"I'm Nurse Narelle." She said quickly, intentionally avoiding my question. "But just Narelle is fine. And you're McKenzie?" She double checked she had my name right on the forms pinned to the bottom of my bed. "Ah yes. Any preferred names sweet pea?"

"Why did you pump my stomach?" I repeated, firmer but much more anxiously.

Narelle sighed.

"I'm sorry sugar." She whispered, sounding truly apologetic. She sat on the edge of my bed and took one of my hands in her own. "But y'all need to know that no matter how bad life gets, there's always a way to fix it, or at least repair some of the damage. We've booked you into see a counselor tomorrow at 2pm. We don't expect you to open up to him right away but if all goes to plan y'all see him every Sunday for the next few months and I promise, he will help."

I gave the Narelle my best 'you've completely lost your mind' look.

"Um… yeah Narelle, I think you might have me confused with another patient. I passed out for some unknown reason in the water at the beach. I don't know what all this counseling is about."

Narelle brought her homeless puppy face back out again.

"Darlin' we always book counseling for patients after a suicide attempt."

My eyes widened.

"Suicide attempt? What? I don't know what you're talking about."

"Honey either y'all in denial or y'all lost you're memory. Either way I just want you to know that while what y'all did was dangerous, it's not illegal. You aren't in any trouble."

"I'm not denying anything!" I snapped. "I. Have. No. Idea. What. You're. Saying!"

Narelle let out another loud sigh.

"Sweetie pie you were admitted for drug overdose on about three different types of pain killers. Like I said, taking pain killers certainly ain't illegal, but taking that amount of three different types certainly is deadly. Y'all very lucky to have that boyfriend of yours or you would have drowned. He cares about you very much."

I blinked about seven times, hard, as if trying to wake myself up from a nightmare.

"The last time I even touched a pain killer was two weeks ago when I had a killer headache. And I only took two of the same kind. I really think there's been a mix up."

"There's no mix up honey. Like I said, we pumped your stomach and got as much of it out as possible."

The reality of what was happening began to truly settle over me. I'd passed out due to a drug overdose. I'd been rushed to hospital to have my stomach pumped, and the substances that had come out of it were identified as huge quantities of three different types of pain killers.

This couldn't be happening.

I reached out and grasped Narelle's arm in a panic.

"Please. You have to call the police. I think someone's drugged me. I didn't take those myself I swear you can ask anyone I'm not like that."

Narelle hesitated.

"That's what your grandfather said. The doctors asked me to come in here and try and coax a confession out of you witch clearly isn't happening so maybe it is time to call the police. We just need to 100% rule out any chance of this being an attempt on your part to take your own life. You understand right darlin'?"

"Of course." I nodded, forcing myself to breath.

"Now based on examinations of your reaction your doctor has decided the drugs couldn't have been in your system for more than half an hour. Where were you half an hour before you passed out."

"On the beach." I said without hesitation.

"With your boyfriend?" She confirmed. I nodded.

"Yes, he's the blonde hair darlin' right?"

I nodded again.

"Yes, he was very eager to see y'all. But we couldn't let him come just yet, immediate family only until the doctor has confirmed visitors. Your Grandpa and Aunt are out in the lobby if you'd like me to send them in."

I found it a little peculiar that Aunt Antoinette was considered immediate family and Brady wasn't - he spent about three or four nights a week at my place, called my grandfather 'Grandpa' and was the love of my life, where as I only saw my Aunt once in a blue moon, but I didn't say anything.

"Sure. Send them in."

"Ok sugar. Do you have contact details of your boyfriend's that we might be able to have? It's important we confirm with him he was on the beach with you half an hour before what happened."

I scribbled down Brady's mobile number, which I knew off by heart, on a notepad Narelle handed me and passed it back. She thanked me and scooted out of the room."

My heart was racing and my head was pounding, and I wanted to see Brady more than anything.

A moment later the door opened and Aunt Antoinette and Grandpa came in.

"Oh Mack." My grandfather immediately dropped to the plastic chair beside my bed and began stroking my hair, which had come out of its plaits. It was only then I realized I was still wearing only the bikinis I'd been wearing when it had happened. "What happened sweetheart?"

"I don't know." I said with another shake of my head. "Nurse Narelle said I overdosed on pain killers. But someone must have spiked something I'd had to eat or drink. I would never do that intentionally."

"I know baby girl. No one here is saying you did."

"Well the possibility has completely erased itself from my mind." Aunt Antoinette pursed her lips. "Did you and that no good boyfriend of yours think this was a good way to try and get high?"

My jaw dropped so far I was surprised it didn't smack into the bed.

"What?!" I cried. "No! Why would you even suggest that?"

"Well I don't know. He just seems like trouble. And I never remember you being a liar McKenzie. Your Grandpa and I were under the impression you were at study group, right Dad?"

Grandpa sighed after I shot him a look.

"Actually Antoinette I knew where she was. Study group might have been a little white lie we made up to get you to let her leave the house. She's young and she's just graduated high school. I think she'd much rather be out having fun then taste testing dips. I know how important you think this party is but it really isn't. Mack already got accepted to a great college months ago, all this party is doing is boosting the professors impression of her, which isn't really necessary considering Mack lights up a room just by walking into it."

Aunt Antoinette put her hands on her hips.

"It isn't about lighting up a room Dad! They don't care how great her personality is, they're interested in how smart she is. And you're encouraging her to lie!"

Grandpa snorted.

"Antoinette she isn't five! She's seventeen and by now she's old enough not to be influenced by what I do. And her boyfriend isn't trouble he's wonderful thankyou."

I blushed, slightly overwhelmed but thrilled that Grandpa was defending not only be but Brady.

My Aunt looked ready to fight and opened her mouth to retaliate but was cut off by the door opening again.

Narelle rushed in, a phone pressed to her chest.

"Brady's on the phone darlin'. He's confirmed what you said and the doctor said so long as you and your family are fine with it he can come see you."

"Absolutely." Grandpa said, which would have been great, had my Aunt not said "Absolutely not." At the same time, snatched the phone off the nurse, hung up on Brady and practically shoved her out of the room.

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	5. So Much For Staying Away

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Chapter Five:

Brady's P.O.V

The line severed with a click.

"Hello?" I said three times, though getting no response.

I pulled the phone away from my ear and, sure enough, the screen was flashing with CALL ENDED.

I considered calling back but instead just opted for sending Mack a text. I knew she had her phone on her because I'd insisted the paramedics take it with them so I could still contact her before visits were permitted.

_2.32pm_

_Me - Ur nurse just called. Some1 drugged U? Y? What did you eat/drink within half an hour of the attack?_

I didn't expect an answer straight away so I set my phone down on the coffee table in the lounge room and tried to preoccupy myself by watching TV, but if you asked me what I was watching I couldn't even tell you.

All I could think of was Mack.

Ten minutes later my phone buzzed and I practically jumped out of my seat on the couch to pick it up.

_2.42pm_

_Mack - Just got your text. Aunt's been interrogating me about whether or not I purposely took them. I don't know, those cookies?_

Purposely took them? I re-read the first part of the message again and again, unable to believe anyone would ever accuse Mack of doing that

_2.45pm_

_Me - Well that's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. I promise the cookies didn't have pain killers baked in them. Sure you didn't eat anything else?_

_2.46pm_

_Mack - Nothing other than bread and dip _

I sat for a long time, trying to work out how on Earth the medicine could have gotten in Mack's system, when my phone went off again.

_2.48pm _

_Mack - I'm sorry I have to go. Doctors back with more results. They've further looked into what came out of my stomach and have more information. Promise I'll keep you updated. Don't worry about my Aunt (she was the one who hung up on you, not Narelle BTW) and please come visit whenever you want. Love you Xoxoxo _

_2.49pm _

_Me - Will give U some time 2 talk 2 ur doctor & will visit in half an hour if that's ok? _

_3.00pm_

_Mack - That's fine, please do _

_3.01pm_

_Me - Ok beautiful take it easy luv U 2 XXXXXX _

I replaced my phone on the coffee table and left the living room. I walked through the kitchen and down the hall to the bright painted purple door and knocked.

"What?" My older sister Jasmine growled from the other side.

"I'm going out so you're on babysitting duty." I yelled back.

"Bull crap I babysat the rug rats while you went frolicking with your girlfriend this morning it's your turn! I'm meeting my friends for lunch in half an hour."

"Well cancel! I'm going to visit Mack!" I lied.

I'd rushed home and called mum at work this morning, straight after the ambulance had driven away. She'd told me to tell Jasmine she had to watch the kids whenever I was allowed to go see Mack and wanted to, so Jasmine had no argument.

"Oh fine!" She groaned. "But there's a party on tonight and I'm going so hurry up and get your make out session with your disabled girlfriend in and be back by seven. Mum doesn't finish till eight tonight so you'll be watching the brats for an hour!"

"Ok whatever!" I called, knowing I would hardly be in trouble if I made Jasmine an hour late for her party because I was visiting my in hospital girlfriend.

Which is what I would be doing, just with a short detour.

I went into the garage and grabbed my surfboard from its signature spot in the corner and laid it on the floor. I went over to the door leading to the storeroom and grabbed my dad's old surfboard, one of the many things he'd left behind and never come back to pick up when he and my mum had divorced, then placed in in the corner where my board had just been standing. Jasmine didn't pay enough attention to my life to know what my surfboard looked like, only that it stood in the corner, and if she came out and found it gone she'd know I lied about where I was going.

The beach was a ten minute walk from my place and, against all attempts, my thoughts were only of Mack.

I jogged down the sandy shore and into the water, my surfboard at my side. I collapsed onto the front of it and paddled out to where the waves are, but instead of making an attempt to stand on my board once a ripping wave approached, I let it crash over my head, thoughts of Wet Side Story dancing in my mind.

Sure enough, as the wave softened and then vanished and the water stilled, the shore in the distance was not a crowed beach complete with a lifeguard tower and emergency medical tent, but mostly empty beach with only a few girls tanning in the sand, a wooden building with a sign that said BIG MAMA'S in the background.

I paddled on top of my board to shore, and as I neared the sand I realized the four girls dressed in bikini's and sunglasses soaking up the sun were not strangers but Lela, Chee Chee, Struts and Giggles.

I pretended not to notice them as I picked up my board and strutted onto the beach, although I was praying with everything I had that they wouldn't notice me.

Please don't see me. Don't see me. Please. Don't see me. Don't see me...

"Brady!" Lela called, alerting the others.

Damn it.

"Hey Lela." I said slowly.

"Oh hi Brady!" Struts waved, jumping up. The other girls mimicked and jumped up as well, and the four of them were racing over.

"What bought you back so quick?" Chee Chee demanded.

"Che, he obviously came back because he just can't stay away from us." Struts said with a toss of her hair. I raised an eyebrow at her.

"Where's Mack?" Giggles shoved Struts away.

"In hospital." I told her flatly, the aimed my glare at Struts. "That's why I'm here. Not because I missed you but good guess."

Lela's eyes widened.

"Hospital?" She gasped. "What happened?"

"She was drugged."

"By who?" Struts gushed.

"We don't know yet. Only happened this morning."

"Oh gosh." Giggles hands were over her mouth.

"What's the time?" Chee Chee asked suddenly.

"Uh about midday." Struts told her. I was about to correct her and say it was about quarter past three when I remembered I was in another dimension, hence it being another time.

"Oh crap that's right." Struts added quickly. "Sorry Brady Chee Chee and I have to go, we've got work."

"Work?" I didn't mean to sound as surprised as I did.

"Yeah we need cash." Chee Chee chewed on one of her fake nails. "We're waitresses at Big Mama's. Catch ya. Send my love to Mack and tell her if she took the drugs intentionally I'm proud of her. Kiss kiss." She blew me a kiss, as did Struts, and I bit my lips to keep the sting I felt from Chee Chee's comment about Mack intentionally drugging herself spilling into words.

"Yeah I should get going too." Giggles tossed a strand of sun bleached blonde hair over her shoulder, then looked at Lela. "I'm meeting your brother for lunch." She kissed Lela on the cheek, then me.

_No!_ I screamed in my mind. _Don't leave me alone with Lela!_

"I'll give you some money to buy Mack flowers." She continued, pulling a few green notes out of her handbag. "I would buy some myself but they would get destroyed in the water." She handed me the money and I hoped she hadn't realized how shaky my hands were as I accepted it. "Tell her my thoughts are with her. Love ya!" She also blew me a kiss and skipped away, leaving me alone with Lela.

"So…." Lela hummed, recognizing the awkwardness of the situation.

"Uh, where's Tanner?" I asked, half trying to make conversation, half reinforcing that we both had other partners.

"At home with the twins. They're asleep so he can't go out." She said quickly, her voice almost sounding as if she was hinting.

We watched Giggles until she was just a speck in the distance, and one she was completely gone, whether either of us meant for it to happen or not, my lips were on hers.

**Ok review review review nine reviews and I update! Xxxxx**


	6. Cheater

**Whoa more than fifty reviews already? Thanks! And a shout out to all the readers people send me messages those make my day and its awesome to be able to have a convo with you! **

Chapter Six

Mack's P.O.V

The doctor seemed very unorganised.

He was leafing through a large stack of files, unable to make sense of the order they were supposed to be in on where he was supposed to be looking for mine. When he finally found the analyzation form he apologised and quoted he was having an off day, which was something I could defiantly relate to.

"Umm..." He skimmed both sides of the page, then traced the writing in one side with his thumb until he found what he was looking for.

"Uh huh!" He cried triumphantly. "Here we go. After careful examination of the liquid substance that came from pumping your stomach our experts have deemed that it isn't possible that your stomach liquified the drugs, it's far too set."

"What do you mean?" I asked for clarity, even though I was pretty sure I understood.

The doctor sighed.

"The drugs were already in liquid form when they entered your body."

Grandpa shifted his weight on the plastic chair on one side of me, Aunt Antoinette twisted her lips on the other side and let out a small gasp.

"My water bottle." I thought aloud. "It's the only liquid thing I'd drunken from within half an hour of passing out."

Suddenly, I remembered offering Brady a sip and thanked everything that was good and holy he had refused.

Narelle appeared in the doorway at the moment, her blonde hair now bundled on top of her head and and a pair of cream coloured glasses perched on her nose.

"Pardon me for interuptin'." She drawled. "McKenzie darlin' someone's here to see you. Visitors have been approved?" She confirmed with the doctor. He nodded.

My Aunt scowled.

"Who?" She practically spat.

"Didn't quite catch her name. Started with C I think? Or maybe a K?"

I could see relief flood Aunt Antoinette's face with the word "her" instead of "his", meaning in clearly wasn't Brady, much to my disappointment even though he'd said he would come in half an hour only ten minutes ago.

"What does she look like?" I asked cautiously, not really able to think of any girl who would be visiting me.

"Uhh, dark hair, olive skin, brown eyes... Or maybe they were hazel..."

"Ok..." I said, my curiosity but also suspicion growing. "Send her in."

Narelle nodded and whisked off again, a moment later returning with none other than Chee Chee.

Her outfit was quite strange; her signature biker leather pants, a bikini top and enclosed white shoes. Her black hair looked fairly frizzy as if it had only recently been teased into its normal high style but had been pulled out and brushed down only minutes ago.

"Kirsty. That was her name." Narelle laughed. "Oh I'm so sorry darlin'. I'm so bad with names."

"It's fine." Chee Chee replied flatly.

Grandpa blinked a few times and I swallowed hard.

"You look awfully familiar. I know you from somewhere." He shook his finger.

Chee Chee cocked her head, naturally having no idea where he could have known her from.

"Ummm this is my friend Kristy. She only moved her a week ago." I jumped in.

"Huh." Grandpa stroked his chin, his expression determined which told me he was giving up on figuring out where he knew her from.

Suddenly, his face brightened.

"Has anyone ever told you you look a lot like Julia Chris?" Chee Chee shook her head, neither of us having any idea who Julia Chris was.

Unfortunately, I had a slight frightening suspicion about who she might have been, which Grandpa confirmed.

"She played a character in one of my favourite movies. You ever seen Wet Side Story?"

Oh crap. We're in trouble now. Please don't remember. Please don't remember...

"No I haven't." Chee Chee's voice was light and plain, a bared no sign of remembering Wet Side Story was the DVD her and the gang had found in my cabinet, the one we'd made up the A.E stuff about.

"But if there's an actress in it that looks like me I'll have to check it out."

"No!" I cried quickly, then noticing the strange stares, I added "It's an awful movie."

Grandpa half-laughed.

"Mack's always hated it. Mack's boyfriend and I love it though."

Chee Chee nodded, then to my absolute delight said "Well I think I have a lot more in common with Mack than Brady so I'll take her word for it."

She looked around awkwardly at Narelle, the doctor, my Aunt and my grandfather.

"If you guys don't mind, I'd like a few minutes alone with Mack? Girl stuff."

Grandpa nodded and stood but Aunt Antoinette made no attempt to move.

"Aunt Antoinette, just a few minutes? Please?" I pleaded.

"She's seventeen Antoinette." Grandpa waded. "Give her a little privacy with her friend."

Chee Chee flashed her a tight smile as she groaned and reluctantly followed the others out of the room. The door closed and Chee Chee and I were alone.

"What are you doing here?" I demanded. "And how did you know where I was? And what on Earth are you wearing?"

Chee Chee sighed and ticked off my questions on her fingers as she answered them.

"I needed to talk to you urgently. Brady told me you were in hospital and this was the nearest hospital from your house, so to be honest it was kind of a lucky guess. And my outfit? Well I was at work and my uniform is leather pants, white shoes, an apron and a patterned shirt, and my work shoes, work pants and bikini top was the only thing I could really find on short notice that blended in with this time. And I had to pull out my hair as well. Apparently your people don't do my hairstyle."

I blinked several times, processing everything I was just told.

"Wait back it up. You have a job?"

Chee Chee groaned loudly.

"Why does everyone find that so hard to believe?"

I laughed.

"I'm sorry but that doesn't sound like you."

"Well." She pursed her lips and clicked her nails. "Nights out are expensive. And apparently there's only so long I can leave I.O.U's at the shoe store."

I nodded.

"Yeah, that sounds like you."

Chee Chee's face settled and she actually appeared quite somber and anxious.

"But seriously Mack, I really need to talk to you."

She dropped herself into the chair my grandfather had just evacuated and chewed her thumb.

"I have to tell you something and you have to swear not to hate me." Her eyes glimmered with panic.

"Ok." I said, my own anxiety rising.

"Swear? You can't shoot the messenger! Promise you won't be mad with me?"

"I promise." I enforced.

Chee Chee took a deep breath.

"Brady's cheating on you." She whispered.

The stab of pain in my chest would have been less extreme if someone had of just ran into me with a bus

I opened my mouth to speak but no words came out. I literally could not make myself speak.

"I'm so sorry I didn't tell you sooner." Chee Chee flipped her hands around in her lap. "But I didn't want to be the one to break you and Brady up. You're so good together and he really loves you Mack and he makes you so happy and I just could do and I'm so sorry."

She dropped her head into her hands and almost looked like she was about to cry.

"Sooner?" Was the only word I could bring myself to utter. Every muscle in my body felt as though it had been sliced through with a piece of glass.

Chee Chee took another deep breath.

"When Tanner took you to the beach that day you and Brady came to see Alice and Rose, Lela and Brady had a bit of a kiss and a cuddle. Then-"

"Wait WHAT?" I screamed so loudly I was surprised the nurses didn't come charging in. Chee Chee's eyes stunned.

"Sorry." I mumbled numbly. "Continue."

"Anyway, Lela confessed to me straight away how bad she felt for betraying you and and her daughters and her husband and I told her everyone makes mistakes and she should worry. But when you guys came back again the following weekend she told me her and Brady had made out in the bathrooms at Big Mama's and this time she didn't feel so bad about it and what should she do? I told her that -crazy as I may be- I strongly believe in faithfulness and both her and Brady needed to cut it off immediately but they never did. Friday night Lela came and told me she and Brady were over, that he'd said something about sleeping with you and realising how much he cares for you, but today while I was at work I caught them in a pretty heated make out session on the beach and that's when I decided that you needed to know. Here you are in hospital, lucky to be alive, and instead of being beside you and tending to your every need, your boyfriend has more interest in sticking his tongue down another girls throat. Sorry for being so blunt but that's just my opinion."

Tears pricked my eyes at the shock of what I was hearing.

"Four months." My voice shook as I did the quick calculation. "He was cheating on me for four

months."

"Was and still is."

How was that possible? The guy I'd loved for two years, the guy who I'd thought loved me, he'd spend four long months lying to me, deceiving me and cheating on me when he'd sworn I was his one and only. And when we finally have sex for the first time that's what it takes to get him to realise what he was doing was wrong, but a day later he's kissing her again?

Tears streamed down my face and Chee Chee let out a gasp and quickly pounced to her feet and hugged me.

"Oh baby. You hate me don't you?"

I shook my head and sobbed into her shoulder.

"Of course not. Thanks for telling me. I would never hate you."

I paused, thinking my next words over carefully, but then deciding just to say them anyway.

"I hate Brady and Lela. That's who I hate."


	7. Why, Just Why?

**Wow that was painful! My IPod decided to delete this whole chapter and I had to rewrite it from memory yay! So apologies if it isn't very good I was annoyed...**

Brady's P.O.V

Lela's lips moved in perfect rhythm with mine.

Stop! A voice inside my head cried. What are you doing?

But I couldn't stop. All I could think of was Mack but all my body wanted was Lela.

We kissed for several minutes until we broke apart, gasping for air.

She slid her hand into mine and dragged me across the beach, carefully avoiding the windows of Big Mama's that her best friends were currently inside.

"Where are we going?" I hissed at her.

"You'll see." She whispered back.

She led me around the back of Big Mama's to a door and stopped, subtracted a bobby pin from her hair and twisted it out of shape. She jammed it into the door lock and jiggled it around for a few moments until a click aroused. She smiled triumphantly, tossed the disfigured pin on the ground and pushed the heavy door open.

Amazed, I followed her into the Big Mama's kitchen.

"Whoa, where did you learn how to lock pick?"

Lela shot me a look.

"I'm Butchy's little sister. Where do you think?"

"Ok fair enough. But how do you know how to get into the Big Mama's kitchen?"

Lela looked a little embarrassed and smiled sheepishly.

"Umm... Tanner and I kind of sneak in a lot on the nights Rose and Alice are being babysat. But you have to come this way so the cooks don't see you."

She grabbed my hand again and dragged me across the kitchen to another door labelled MANAGER'S OFFICE.

"The manager is only here on Friday's." She explained, ushering me into the room.

She shut the door tight and spun around, and instantly our lips were reconnected.

Well, they were for a few minutes anyway.

Suddenly, without warning, the reality of what I was doing slammed into me like a freight train.

"Stop!" I cried, prying myself off Lela's lips.

Then every bit of confusion I felt towards where Lela and I stood came pouring out.

"This is your place that you go to with Tanner." I begun. "As in your supposed to bring him here, not the guy you're cheating on him with. Oh god, what are we doing? Next this will progress and I'll be inviting you to California and taking you to mine and Mack's spot without even knowing why. Why? What a brilliant question! Why are we doing this? Ok sure, maybe we do have a few feelings for each other but we both love other people and we're betraying them. Maybe it's the adrenaline we're getting from sneaking around and never getting caught but its only a matter of time before someone does catch us and Mack and Tanner find out. Your marriage could be over before Alice and Rose even turn one! And I can't lose Mack. I'm sorry Lela but I love her so much. She's my whole life and she means so much more to me then this ever could."

Lela kept her head down, and I thought I heard her mumble "you're right" but I couldn't be sure as the room elapsed over into silence.

"Yeah I know." Her voice wobbled when she finally spoke. "I don't know why we're doing this either. I love Tanner and my girls, really, I do."

I stepped forward and hugged her and she hugged me back.

"I know you do." I assured her. "We have to stop this. Think of everything we're risking for reasons we can't even come up with. Your marriage, you relationship with the twins, my relationship with Mack, your friendship with Mack, our friendship with the others, Lela, if this gets out we could lose all that in a heartbeat."

Lela was unresponsive but I knew she was listening.

I hesitated.

I have to go see Mack. I'll catch up with you later ok?"

She gave a tiny nod and I slipped out of the room, taking the same route we'd used to come in back out until I was back on the beach. I scooped up my surfboard and paddled out into the upcoming wave, not daring to look back.

Exactly thirty minutes in California time had passed since I'd told Mack I'd see her in half an hour as I walked into the lobby.

The receptionist glanced up at me.

"Can I help you?"

"I'm here to see McKenzie Holt." I told her.

She keyed a few letters into her computer.

"Uh yes Hun. Room two-four-oh. She's with a friend but I'm sure she won't mind another. Last time her nurse checked on her she seemed a little upset, so I guess multiple friends are always best in that situation."

I thanked the receptionist and speed walked to the elevator, hating myself even more. Mack was upset! I should have been by her side and not with Lela.

But unknown to me at that moment, going to see her would only make things a million times worse.


	8. Falling Apart

**Ok so I am in the best mood right now! FINALLY GOT R5'S NEW ALBUM LOUDER WOOP WOOP! *does most epic happy dance ever* **

Chapter Eight

Mack's P.O.V

Twenty minutes later I was still in tears.

Chee Chee was now perched on the end of my bed, her arms wrapped tightly around me.

"I can only imagine how much it must hurt chika." She whispered. "But you'll be ok. I know you will."

The door knob twisted and Aunt Antoinette and Grandpa walked in slowly, then, realizing I was crying, rushed over to my bedside.

"Mack what's wrong?" Grandpa pulled and sat beside the bed. I shook in response.

Grandpa opened his mouth to say something else but was cut off by the door opening.

Narelle walked in wearing the same sympathy ridden face she'd given me when she thought I'd attempted suicide. She'd known I was upset because she'd checked on me early but hadn't pressed for details, figuring it was none of her business.

"Love, your boyfriend's here. Shall I send him in?"

My Aunt scowled, Chee Chee inhaled sharply and my heart froze.

But how could I say no?

"Sure." I tried to sound nonchalant. "Send him in."

Narelle nodded and vanished from the door, and about twenty seconds later Brady walked in, refused eye contact.

Brady looked confused at the sight of Chee Chee.

"That's our cue Antoinette." Grandpa sighed.

"I'm not leaving alone with him." My Aunt snarled.

Grandpa rolled his eyes.

"She isn't alone she's with Kristy let's go."

Aunt Antoinette menacingly glared at Brady until her and Grandpa had disappeared from room.

"Did I do something?" Brady half-laughed.

I forced myself to smile.

"I don't know. She's Aunt Antoinette. Don't ask."

Brady smiled back and kissed me gently on the lips, and it took all I had not to push him away.

"So what are you doing here?" Brady sat himself next to Chee Chee on the bed. "And what are you-"

"Do not ask about my outfit it was all I could find to blend in with this time ok?" She snapped. "And if they outlawed visiting my friend while she's in hospital I'm sorry I missed the memo."

Brady gave a half nod.

"Right. Ok. Well if you don't mind I actually really need to talk to Mack alone."

Chee Chee shot me a sideways glance, seeking before she left me alone with the boy who would very soon become my ex-boyfriend. I gave a tiny nod and she stood up, hugged my goodbye, kissed me on the cheek, said a very tight and curt goodbye to Brady and left.

The first thing I noticed about Brady once we were alone was how nervous he looked.

"Mack, there's something I wasn't going to tell you." He begun.

I pursed my lips together and hid my hands behind my back so Brady couldn't see how much they were shaking, not that he was looking at me.

His lip began to tremble and there was a long pause.

"Brady." I said before he could finish.

Brady shook his head.

"Just hear me out." He insisted.

"I know what you're going to say."

"No Mack, you don't."

And suddenly, something snapped in me.

Why was a pretending not to know what an asshole he was? Why was I waiting for a confession? What was I waiting for? A logical explanation? What logical reason could ever justify what he did to me?

"Well unless you're going to tell me something other than you've been cheating on me then yes, I do."

Brady's looked up at me, a swirling combination of shock and terror in his eyes.

"How long have you known?" He whispered.

"Actually I found out twenty minutes ago from Chee Chee."

"Look Mack I-"

"No save it Brady." I interrupted him, feeling my eyes mist again. I knew it was hardly important, but there was one question I had to ask.

"Where you even a virgin when we… well…. Did you know what?"

Brady bit his lip.

"Mack of course. I would never sleep with Lela."

I snorted.

"Oh good so you lie to me, you cheat on me, you betray me, you kiss another girl but you draw the line at sleeping with her! Wow Brady and to think I was just beginning to consider you to be a jerk!"

"Look Mack I know I screwed up but-"

"No enough said. You screwed up Brady. Majorly. And nothing you say will fix this. EVER!" I was screaming at him now and the tears were falling freely down my face.

"Why would you do that?" I sobbed. "Every time you told me you loved me over the past four months you were lying to me!"

"No Mack please I wasn't I swear. I do love you. More than anyone and-"

"You're still lying to me!" I screamed. "God damn it Brady do you even have any idea how in love with you I am? What is this some game to you?"

"Of course not I just-"

"No shut up!" I cried.

"McKenzie please just let me finish one sentence!"

With a combination of crying and yelling my voice I was beginning to lose my breath so I stayed quiet this time.

"Mack as I said I know how badly I screwed up okay and I really can't justify what I did. I can't even tell you why I did it. Something about sneaking around without getting caught, it gave me a rush and I know that is no excuse. Then we had sex and I knew you didn't want to do that until marriage but then you told me that you were sure one day we'd be married anyway so it didn't really matter if we did it now and it was such a special moment I knew nothing I was getting from Lela even held a candlestick to my love for you. I have no idea what today was but Lela and I spent a lot more time talking then we did kissing, I swear. I told her I couldn't carry on betraying you and it's never going to happen again."

More tears fell from my eyes as I remembered what I said to Brady about us getting married.

"Yeah, well if only you'd said that four months ago. Brady I can't forgive you. Not for this. So please, just leave. Delete my number, forget my address, and please, just go."

Brady had tears streaming down his own face by now as he stood and gently kissed my forehead.

"I really can't forget this Brady." I reinforced. "I'm sorry."

"Yeah." He whispered. "Me too."

And with that he left the hospital room, leaving me crying harder than I ever had in my life.

**Ok guys so how about this; you guys review, and I will go and listen to Louder for the 46437246356438564****th**** time! Lol nine reviews and I will update! **


	9. You Again

**Sorry about the late update! Been at the doctors and also been learning my lines for the school play. Now just quickly, I would like to address one guest review. One person who got very mad at me for breaking Brack up and then not even caring but being excited about listening to Louder. I'm not going to copy and paste your review because it contained inappropriate language but here's the thing. I know this will shock you, but, be prepared to have your mind blown here…. I have a life! And it doesn't completely revolve around this story! And R5 is like the greatest thing since ever so duh I'm going to brag about downloading it! Ok on with the story**

Chapter Nine

Mack's P.O.V

"Mack." My Grandpa begged for the millionth time that morning. "Please talk to me."

It was 11am the following morning and I'd been discharged from the hospital five hours earlier. All Grandpa and Aunt Antoinette knew was since Chee Chee's visit I'd been upset but I refused to tell then why, mainly because I was struggling to understand it myself.

I'd been silent the whole way home, gone straight to the bathroom and showered, put on my pyjamas as I had zero intention of leaving my room and spent the following five hours crying in between mindlessly watching TV.

Grandpa was now on the end of my bed, stroking my arm. My face was buried in my tear soaked pillow, refusing to look at him.

"Come on, please? I hate seeing you so upset and not having any idea what could have happened."

I rolled over and gazed up at my Grandpa and his pleading and eyes and realised how unfair it was to keep him in the dark.

I took a deep breath in.

"Brady and I broke up." Was all I could bring myself to utter.

Instantly, Grandpa's face completely fell.

"Oh gosh. Oh Mack."

I sat up and fell into my grandfathers hug. His arms were stiff and, having known Brady and I as the perfect couple right from the beginning, he was presumably quite shocked.

Like any couple, over the time Brady and I had been together (almost two years) we'd fought and sometimes I would come home a little quiet and tell Grandpa that we were fighting but never once had I told him we'd broken up, because I never believed that. I'd always believed we would work it out.

But not this time. There wasn't one thing I could think of that would fix this.

"Darling girl what happened?" He whispered.

More tears pricked my eyes as I became to chocked up to speak, but I knew he wasn't leaving without an answer.

After a few deep breaths I calmed myself back down and whispered in such a tiny voice that the words were barely audible "He had another girlfriend for the last four months."

I heard Grandpa gasp sharply.

"No. He wouldn't. Brady would never do that."

I sobbed gently.

"Well I didn't think so either."

I pulled away and wiped my eyes, then looked down at my pajamas, and in half a second made a snap decision.

"I'm going out." I announced, flinging my legs over the mattress and wobbling to my feet.

"What to see Brady?"

"Grandpa please, the effects of the drugs wore off. No, I'm just going out."

"McKehenzie, you know I don't like you going out when I don't know where you going." He said sternly, watching me as I cleaned my red, blotchy, tear stained face with tissues.

"Well that's funny because you never minded where I was when I was with Brady."

Grandpa paused.

"Well I trusted Brady. I felt like you were safe when you were with him."

"Yeah well I trusted Brady to but he's an asshole." I snapped back.

"Mack, language."

I muttered an apology and began covering up the evidence of the hours I'd spent crying with make-up, trying not to think about how Brady would tell me off if he saw me.

"So where are you going?" Grandpa reinforced.

"Out with some friends. Everyone tells me that's the best thing for a broken-heart." Which was as close to the truth as it needed be. "They texted me and asked if I wanted to meet up at the beach but I didn't want to leave me room. But I've had a sudden change of heart." Again, as true as it had to be.

"Ok. Could you be back by 2pm?"

That was three hours, when I knew I only needed ten minutes. It was a five minute walk to the beach, then once I was in Wet Side Story time would freeze, but I just nodded, figuring a few hours relaxing on the beach alone when I came back might do me good.

Grandpa gave me one more hug than left the room to let me get changed. I pulled on a rash top and a pair of board shorts over my bikinis and grabbed a towel and walked through the hall and into the living room. I'd made it to the front door when Aunt Antoinette slid in front of me.

"You're up! You're dressed!" She waved her hands up and down. "You're ready to talk to me about what put you in that funk!"

I sighed.

"Gosh, I love how you just assume that because I got out of bed I'm instantly ready to talk."

Aunt Antoinette narrowed her eyes at my sarcasm, then noticing my towel, asked "going somewhere?"

"Actually yes."

"Where."

"Out."

My Aunt folded her arms stubbornly and I hesitated.

"You were right about Brady ok? He broke my heart and I should have listened to you. Now will you please move?"

Satisfied and with a small, undeniable smirk playing on her lips, she sidestepped, allowing me access to the door.

Just as I was about to leave and Grandpa called goodbye from the recliner, a thought hit me that made me freeze.

I'd been supposed to tell Grandpa about losing my virginity yesterday.

I was fourteen, maybe fifteen, when I went on my first date. It never progressed into anything but, feeling as though I was growing up, Grandpa felt he had to give me what must have been the most awkward talk in the history, that ended with my promise not to keep it a secret when "it" happened, my promise to tell him no later than one week after, which was yesterday. And even though it was just that awkward that I was willing to promise him a Shetland unicorn to get him to stop talking, a promise was still a promise.

But either way, I really didn't want to tell him now that I'd known Brady had been cheating on me, it just felt pathetic. I felt stupid for giving him something so important, like I should have known better, even though I had no way of knowing what he was doing with Lela.

So, I simply said goodbye to Grandpa, deciding maybe he didn't have to know.

I wasted no time getting myself to Wet Side Story once I'd arrived on the beach.

I walked into Big Mama's, hoping to find someone I knew.

And I did. Because the first person I saw was Brady.

**Nine reviews for an update (and please no spaz attacks this time?) **


	10. One More Chance

**My accomplishments today: I watched **_**Spring Breakers, The Suite Life Movie **_**and **_**Madagascar 2….**_**Oh and I wrote this chapter **

Chapter Ten

Brady's P.O.V

"Dude, you cannot just come here, tell us you and Mack had a break up and then not tell us why." Butchy complained.

Lugnut, Butchy and I were slumped in a booth in Big Mama's. I'd been here for half an hour now. I'd come with the intention of talking to one of my friends here about what had happened, but the only people I knew in Big Mama's were Butchy and Lugnut, and I could hardly tell Butchy I'd been having an affair with his "baby sister" so I'd just told them Mack and I were no longer a couple and left at that.

Although the past thirty minutes had proven the bikers weren't accepting that for an answer.

Lugnut groaned and swooshed his drink around in its cup, while Butchy scraped one the fabric of the seat her was sitting on top of. He tossed his head back, then suddenly beamed.

"Well, I guess if you won't tell me then we'll just go ask Mack."

"What?" I gasped, looking up. Sure enough Mack was standing in the doorway, still as statue, white as a ghost, starring back at me.

"Oh god." I muttered underneath my breath. Then before my mind had time to process the situation I was on my feet and rushing over to her.

Seeing my coming, Mack spun on her heels and marched back out the door, her march progressing into a slow paced jog, that progressed into a casual run, and by the time she was half way towards the ocean she was full on sprinting away from me, ignoring each time I called her name, which must have been at least 20 times.

"Mack please wait!" I cried helplessly, doubting I would have any more luck then last time.

The good thing was I could out run Mack by miles. Aside from surfing, she'd never really been the sporty type and was pretty easy to catch up with.

Once I was right on her heels I abruptly stopped and grabbed a hold of her arm to stop her moving forward to. We were standing right on the edge of the water, the cool salty liquid dancing around our toes.

Standing there with Mack, with the wind originating from the ocean blowing her brunette wavy hair all over her face, her stunning hazel eyes illuminating her slight made up face in the sunlight, the way her wet swim shirt and pants clung to her skin, highlighting ever curve of her perfect body, her pink lips looking sleek and kissable, I'd never felt more in love in my whole life.

"What?" She yelled over the roar of the waves. "What do you want?"

"Please just let me talk to you." I begged.

"You aren't going to change my mind. We're through."

"I don't want to change your mind. I just want to talk to you. Please."

Mack hesitated for a few long, awkward moments, but before she gave me her answer, Giggles appeared.

"Oh Mack!" She called, waving her hands above her head and rushing over to us. "Are you okay?"

Mack sighed and dropped her eyes, then looked up at Giggles, who embraced her in a tight hug.

"Fine thankyou." She turned her attention to me a narrowed her eyes. "At least, I was."

"Mack please. Three minutes."

Giggles looked at me, then at Mack, then at me again, her blonde hair bouncing as she tossed her head.

"Did I miss something?" She asked confused.

Mack nodded.

"You did actually. Brady and I aren't together anymore."

Giggles eyes and mouth formed an 'o' shape.

"What? No! I… what? You guys aren't boyfriend and girlfriend anymore?"

"No." I said, my voice full of resentment. "We aren't. But I do need to talk to Mack either way."

"We don't have anything to talk about." Mack hissed.

"Yes, we do."

"We aren't together anymore, just leave me alone."

"Just because we aren't a couple, doesn't mean I have completely fallen off the face of the Earth. In two weeks it will be exactly two years since we met. We have history so yes we have some stuff to talk about."

Giggles, who had been silently watching the scene unfold, bouncing her head between us as we spoke like she was watching a ping pong game, exhaled heavily.

"Ok… well, this is becoming increasingly awkward so I'm going to going and find Lela. We were supposed to meet up here." She looked around for her friend as Mack and I both shuddered at the mention of Lela's name.

Giggles put a hand on each of our shoulders.

"I don't think you to have broken up, perhaps you've just hit a bump. I've known you guys for almost a year now and I know how much you guys love each other, how perfect you are. You'll work this out, I know it."

And with that she skipped away, completely oblivious.

I half-smiled.

"Giggles has a point."

Just as I thought she might, Mack scowled.

"No, she doesn't! Look you have three minutes so start talking."

I inhaled deeply.

"I know that I'll never be able to kiss you, or cuddle you or hold your hand again, but I don't want to lose you. Can we please just make the peace and be friends? What's that going to take?"

Mack quickly looked down but not before I could see the tears forming in her eyes.

"A time machine." She hushed. "Brady, we can't be friends because when I look at Chee Chee or Struts or Giggles I feel love towards them, but when I look at you it's totally different. Brady, I don't love you, I'm _in _love with you. There's a huge difference."

I couldn't help but mentally take note that she left Lela out of her list of female friends.

"I love you as so much more than a friend." She continued. "And I always will. But right now I also hate you more than I can put into words. I can't just magically smash those to emotions together to create a friendship. We had a friendship. You were my best friend and my lover and one of the only two people I was curtained I loved and I don't know what to do anymore Brady."

She looked up and me and covered her leaking eyes with her hands.

"I just wish I knew why you did it."

I bit my lip and took a risk I'd been dying to take since we'd started talking.

"I do too." I admitted. "Look Mack, all I want is one chance to make things right. I'm not asking for you to forgive me right now, or ever for that matter, but I just want to be able to show you how sorry I am and how much I love you. I'm not asking for you to trust me, just don't ignore me and I promise you I'll be the best boyfriend in the world, even if we aren't a couple. I won't stop loving you for a day and I won't go out with any other girls, even if you move on. Just give me this one last chance."

Mack looked deeply into my eyes.

"Fine." She wobbled softly. "One chance. We aren't a couple; we might very well never be again. But I just want to see how you think you can fix this."

"Thankyou." I whispered, purely grateful. "I love you. I'm never going to let another day go by without making sure you know that."

Mack's bottom lip trembled.

"Well I feel the same way. I'm just not ready to say it out loud yet."

**Ok guys nine reviews and I'll update but only when I get time. As you could tell from my above achievements, this is a very busy weekend for me *cough cough* **


	11. Midnight

**OMG GUYS I AM SOOOOO SORRY ABOUT THE REALLY LATE UPDATE! IT'S BEEN TWO DAYS SINCE I LAST POSTED AND I AM REALLY SORRY. I've been ridiculously flat out with the school play and I got a job and homework and I've been so tired that every time I tried to start writing this chapter I fell asleep! Lol so here finally finished once again SOOO SORRY!**

Chapter Eleven

Mack's P.O.V

"McKenzie!" Aunt Antoinette screamed from the kitchen.

I sighed and dragged myself off my bed and to my closed door, tightly clutching my letter to my chest.

I'd gotten home around 1pm after leaving Wet Side Story and relaxing on the beach for a few hours. Grandpa and Aunt Antoinette hadn't been home, having left a note taped to the front door that they were out shopping for a few "essential" items for her dinner party with all the professors, and that I was not to leave the house again once I'd come home until they had returned, which made me certain my Aunt had been the one to write the note.

Thank god she was leaving tomorrow.

However, that wasn't the only thing I'd found left on my doorstep. There were also twenty-four roses, an assortment of white, pink and red that were tied together with a light blue ribbon, which was both mine and Brady's favorite colour. Next to the flowers was a light blue envelope with my name printed in black bold letters.

It wasn't another long winded plea for forgiveness from my ex-boyfriend as I was expecting, but just six short words.

**OUR OLD SPOT AT MIDNIGHT –Brady **

I missed Brady a whole lot more than I cared to admit, and so in an eight of a second I knew I was going. As the note brushed my nose while I bent down to pick up the flowers, I realized it smelt strongly of the cologne I'd bought Brady last Christmas, the one I'd gotten a whiff of every time he hugged me, the one I couldn't get off my after we'd slept together, the one that earned questions from Grandpa about why I came home from Brady's place reeking of male cologne.

So I'd spent the next three hours in my room, flicking through magazines or TV channels, my mind on Brady and Brady only, and the note was pressed to my face for the full three hours. The smell reminded me of every good memory we'd ever had, allowed me to hold on to that tiny piece of hope that we would be ok in the end. Possibly obsessive, but it was the only thing that had made me a little less depressed then I had been.

"Would you come and help me prepare the food for the dinner party?"

I froze.

"Wait, that's _tonight_?"

I heard a loud sigh and then the race of footsteps down the hall, followed by an affirmative knock on my door. Without waiting for my permission, Aunt Antoinette flung the door open and paced inside.

She looked the nicest I'd seen her since she'd arrived, not dressed in black pantsuits, knee length pencil skirts or tight fitting blouses. Her white-blonde hair wasn't bundled in a uptight bun but loosely strung around her shoulder and strapless red dress that stopped just below her knees, her height elevated by a pair of black high heels. She wore bright red lipstick, layers of foundation and grey eye shadow covering eyes that were wide in shock.

"McKenzie you aren't even dressed!" She cried, looking me up and down. All I had on was a pair of black bikinis and a thin black jacket that I'd had since I was a little girl that belonged to my mum. I wore it whenever I was upset and somehow it just made me feel like she was right there, comforting me. When I was younger it could have been a full on blanket for me, as it was big on me ever now – the sleeves were rolled up several times and the length fell all the way to my knees.

"Yeah. Because it's only 4pm."

"You know I live half an hour away and the dinner party starts a five-thirty so we'll have to be there by five which means we have to leave in thirty minutes! I hope you have a solution for how you're going to get dressed that quickly.

"Simple." I said with an eye roll. "I'm not going."

"_Excuse me?_" She hissed.

"I'm. Not. Going."

I could see a tight flicker of emotions pass over my Aunt's face as I collapsed back onto the bed, my arms protectively folded over the piece of paper.

"Dad!" Aunt Antoinette screamed. "Dad! Dad!"

There were another set of footsteps before Grandpa showed up in my doorway.

"Right. Who's being murdered?"

"Would you please explain to your granddaughter the importance of tonight and that attendance is _not_ optional?"

Grandpa sighed and shot me a tight look, which I ignored.

"Mack, what's going on?"

"I'm not going." I repeated.

"Why not?"

"I have plans."

"Plans?" Aunt Antoinette shrieked. "McKenzie we've been planning this for weeks! How long have you had these plans?"

"Since 1pm this afternoon. I forgot it was on. Sorry."

"Sorry? Too bloody right you are sorry! So you'll now go and cancel your plans that surely aren't more important than this dinner."

"I really can't see how. This dinner is only to meet professors of the college I already got in to. I'm sorry but I can't bail out on my plans."

Aunt Antoinette looked like she wanted to strangle me.

"You can't bail out on this!" She screamed.

"Antoinette, you just go finish up with the food. I'll have Mack ready by four-thirty, I promise." Grandpa whispered, taking her shoulders and guiding her out of my bedroom. Before she had time to argue he'd forced her into the hall and closed the door.

I rolled over so I wouldn't have to meet his gaze as he sat down beside me.

"Who are the flowers from?" Grandpa pointed towards the bunch of roses on my windowsill. I didn't answer him.

"Mack." Grandpa said sternly. "You can't skip out on this one."

"You can't make me go." I argued back.

"What's on that is more important?"

"Stuff." I replied bluntly. "I have plans for midnight."

"Midnight?" Grandpa relayed his surprise. "Mack you aren't the kind of girl to go out partying."

"And why the heck not?" I bit, even though what I was doing was far from partying I was in a mood to fight.

"Mack, is this some way you're trying to get over Brady?" He lowered his voice.

"No." I said quickly and defensively. "This is me being a seventeen year old girl."

"Okay ok. Look what if I take you home around 10pm? Plenty of time to get ready and go out at midnight, but if this is going to be a regular thing I'm going to have to start issuing a curfew."

I rolled over and smiled up and my dear old grandfather, the man who had raised me, who had always been there for me, whom I was so lucky to have. Legally Aunt Antoinette got custody of me when mum passed as Grandpa was considered too old to be a full term carer, but Aunt Antoinette was happy to continue to be the legal carer but let me live with Grandpa as she had her own career to focus on.

I couldn't imagine how different I would have been had Aunt Antoinette raised me.

"Thankyou." I sat up, wrapping my arms around him and instantly feeling guilty for being horrible.

"You're welcome. I may have to fight Antoinette a little but I'll get you home in time. Trust me, your mother was the rebel, the one who went out until all hours of the night every weekend, who went through boyfriends like they were candies, who failed almost every subject, and she was still the good one! I never had to fight with your mother like I had to fight with her twin, just lecture her, whereas Antoinette often fought with me about your mother! About how I wasn't strict enough with her or I was letting her throw away her life or I should let her enforce the rules occasionally and see how much better things would be."

"Grandpa is this coming to a point?" I laughed.

"Yes, the point being that I'm very experienced when it comes to fighting your Aunt."

I beamed with a tiny giggle.

"My friend's a teen mum. She has twin girls." I said, feeling as though it naturally came up since we were talking about Grandpa raising mum and Aunt Antoinette, who were twins, but then instantly regretting referring to Lela as a friend.

"Does she really?" Grandpa seemed quite surprised. "Well I can only wish her the best and hope she gets slightly easier to handle twins then I did."

"I don't." I said sourly. "We aren't really friends anymore. I forgot about that."

"What happened?"

I looked down.

"She was the one Brady cheated on me with."

**Ok I made this chapter a little longer than usual to make up for the fact that it is late. Sorry again!**


	12. Mack's What Now?

Chapter Twelve

Brady's P.O.V

I'd been unable to relax all night.

Since I'd dropped the flowers off at Mack's place I'd been completely distracted and unfocused. When I'd ordered pizza for my younger siblings because mum and Jasmine were out I couldn't bring myself to focus on the menu or the pizza guy and kept ordering the wrong thing or asking him to repeat himself, and when he'd delivered the food I'd given him the wrong money three times. I'd eaten dinner without tasting it, I'd left the TV on an adult horror movie and scared the living daylights out of the kids when they'd walked into the lounge room and even showed them to the wrong bedrooms when it was time to put them to bed.

The only thing I could think of was that tonight had to go according to plan. Nothing could go wrong.

Mum was out on an overnight business trip so I was depending on Jasmine being home by 11pm like she'd promised, but I now realized what a stupid idea that was. What if she was late? I couldn't just go out and leave the kids alone. If I didn't show up tonight every chance of Mack forgiving me would be eliminated. She'd blocked me so I couldn't even send her a message or call her, so I really wouldn't be able to explain why I'd dropped roses at her door with a proposal to meet and then bailed.

But what if she was the one who didn't turn up? What if she'd just laughed when she'd seen the flowers? What if she'd just tossed them away and torn the note to shreds without reading a single letter?

By 9pm my nerves were running higher than ever when my phone went off.

It isn't hard to guess who I was desperately hoping it would be.

But much to my disappointment, it wasn't Mack.

ONE NEW MESSAGE: BIKERS

A few months back Mack and I had both fished out our old mobile phones and went on what we figured would be mission impossible; teaching the Wet Side Story gang how to text. The phones were basic and simple to us, but widely complex to sixties teens, but once they'd worked it out we'd let them keep them so we could contact them. The bikers shared one and the surfers shared one, which was exactly what their names in our contacts were.

"Don't be Lela. Don't be Lela." I uttered.

To my great relief but also slight resentment, it was Chee Chee.

_9.01pm _

_Bikers – Where R U? –Chee Chee XX _

I sighed, still relieved it wasn't Lela but annoyed because Chee Chee was the one who told Mack about Lela, so she probably hated me now, meaning this would be a fun conversation.

I typed back my one word reply.

_9.02pm _

_Me – Why? _

_9.03pm _

_Bikers – Bcoz U need 2 be on the beach NOW! Come, it's important. We're all her – Chee Chee XX _

I re-read the text a few times, trying to decide how to reply.

_9.04pm _

_Me – All of U? Here? In California? I'm babysitting, what's so important?_

_9.05pm _

_Bikers –Well not all of us. Lela, Tanner, Butchy, Giggles and me. Mack came 2 1962 drunk so we took her home but she isn't cooperating any further than that. Don't no how to deal with her. Help! – Chee Chee XX_

I gasped loudly and slapped my palm to my dropped jaw. Mack? Drunk? No. That doesn't happen. Ever. She can't stand the taste, the smell or even the feeling of alcohol. Those two words just don't go in the same sentence.

I waited patiently for another message to enter my inbox from Chee Chee, explain she'd made a typo and autocorrect had annoyingly changed her message, what she'd meant to say was the Mack was upset, or that someone else was drunk.

But when a new message came through, it certainly wasn't Chee Chee explaining a typo.

_9.09pm _

_Bikers – Umm, hello? R U coming? – Chee Chee XX _

So her text was correct.

I knew I didn't have a choice. Mack had never been drunk before so I had no way of knowing if she was the kind to do something stupid or not, and I defiantly didn't want to find out.

_9.10pm _

_Me – Will be there soon_

_9.11pm_

_Bikers – Thank U. C ya then - Chee Chee XX _

I opened call on my screen and dialed the number I knew just as well as I knew Mack's.

"Brady?" Mack's grandpa sounded overly surprised, then slightly annoyed. "Why are you calling?"

"Mack's in trouble." I gushed quickly. "Where are you?"

There was a pause.

"At Antoinette's house." He said slowly. "Mack was her too. She went missing about half an hour ago but she said something about having plans for midnight this earlier afternoon."

My heart sped up. So Mack had planned to come and see me.

"Actually." He continued. "I don't know how long she's been missing. She hasn't been participating in the party the way her Aunt wanted her too, but hiding and shying away and sneaking off. I haven't seen her for at least an hour but Antoinette and I have only officially confirmed she's not in the house half an hour ago when we searched the whole place."

I took a deep breath.

"Look sir, I know I don't deserve your trust, but whatever happened, and whatever does happen, I love Mack. I know where she is and she's in trouble and she needs me. I just wanted to call and tell you not to worry. I'm onto it."

And without waiting for a response, I severed the line and called the bikers number.

"Brady!" Chee Chee picked up after only about half a ring.

"Chee Chee, send someone to my place to watch my little siblings. I can't leave them unattended."

I heard a shuffling noised like Chee Chee covering the mouth piece with her hand and then some whispering.

"Giggles in on her way." She informed me after about a minute.

"Good. I'll leave her as soon as she arrives."

**Okay people nine reviews and I update, as always **


	13. Poison: Now Avaliable In Orange Flavor

**OMG guys I'm so sorry I feel terrible, this is my second time late updating in a row! This time my internet decided not to cooperate so so sorry I will try and post another chapter later today to make up for it. SORRY **

Chapter Thirteen

Mack's P.O.V

I know the memory of my first ever time drunk is going to haunt me forever, and I can't even remember the worst of it.

What I do remember is being at Aunt Antoinette's house, sipping cranberry juice, stomaching her awful dips and making small talk with some uptight professors. They were the kind that dressed as though they were attending a meet and greet with the Queen of England, and made me feel shabby even though My Aunt had done my hair before they'd arrived in a perfect bun with French braids on either side of my head and forced me into the cream heels Brady had given me years ago (the only heels I owned) and a one shoulder navy blue dress of hers.

The most annoying thing was Aunt Antoinette introduced me to everyone as McKenzie and scolded Grandpa when he addressed me as Mack, making the whole thing even more formal.

That was until a blonde girl about my age with hot pink highlights in her hair waltzed in dressed in nothing but purple mini shorts, a bikini tops and thongs, loudly popping bubblegum the same way Struts did.

The Dean/Professor/whoever I was pretending to listen to turned and glared at the teenager, who was sliding dark shades over her eyes, whilst everyone else was exchanging shocked looks.

"Harmony Grace Lightweight." He said sternly. "I told you we were going to someone else's house for dinner and warned you to dress appropriately."

Harmony snorted.

"Damn you all look so fancy. Every time I've ever been invited anywhere for dinner it's always been pizza on a dirty couch and a bottle of beer followed by a sexual drinking game and half naked swim in the pool. And for those dinners, if anything, I'm overdressed, but I like to look my best in case there are any guys worth impressing." She slid her glasses down to her nose and peered around the room, then sighed. "Nope. That was a waste of an outfit."

The professor looked as though he wanted to rip Harmony's head off of her shoulders.

"Harmony you are most certainly not overdressed, you are under and inappropriately dressed. You knew perfectly well that this dinner was to do with my work and would be nothing like the stupid little parties you and your mates have. Go home and get changed immediately."

Harmony pretended to think for a moment.

"No thanks. Formal wear ain't really my thing. Oh crackers and dip, yummy!"

She pushed past the professor, who looked mortified, and helped herself to a corn chip, then studied the range of dips.

"Um, do you have anything a little less my dad's taste and a little more my taste?" She asked Aunt Antoinette. "Y'know, like Homus?"

Aunt Antoinette, clearly in shock, was silent.

"Miss Locknight." The professor addressed my Aunt. "I am so so sorry about my daughter."

Aunt Antoinette was clearly unimpressed, but forced a tight smile.

"Oh she's fine. Kids will be kids, some aren't as mature as others. I'll be right back with some Homus dear." Which was practically Aunt Antoinette's nice way of saying my niece is perfect and your daughter is a screw up.

People resumed chatting but sideways glances remained on Harmony, who had been dragged aside by her dad and was listening to what seemed to be a lecture with her hands on her hips and a smirk on her face.

When Aunt Antoinette returned with Harmony's requested dip, she beamed and took the whole tub from her, as well as a handful of corn chips and a bottle of orange juice from the table.

"Well I'll be in the basement if I'm needed." She announced. "Dad told me to go there. He's afraid I'll cramp his style." And with a laugh she disappeared through the door that led to the staircase down to the basement.

There was something about Harmony, something about the way she was bold and confident in her own personality and wasn't trying to be something or someone she wasn't, not for anyone, it made me take and instant liking to her and drew me in. So while Grandpa and my Aunt were in the kitchen, I snuck down to the basement to see her.

She was slumped over the couch with the bottle of orange juice tipped upright in her mouth. The TV was on but she didn't seem to be taking much notice of it.

"Hey." I said. Harmony jumped at my voice, then sat up and placed the orange juice on the floor.

"Jesus, you scared the shit out of me."

"Sorry." I apologized, sitting down next to her.

"So what are you doing down here, mixing with scum like me? If you're mother's anything like my father, she certainly wouldn't want you socializing with me."

"She's my Aunt." I corrected. "And she's exactly like your dad. She doesn't know I'm down here."

Harmony smirked.

"Whoa badass over here." She said with a giggle, and I smiled.

"I'm not like this." I said quickly, not wanting Harmony to dislike me for being prissy and prestigious. "All this formal wear and polite conversation and what not, this is what my Aunt thinks I should be like."

Harmony cocked her head.

"So if you aren't like this, what are you like?"

"I'm a surfer. I love the beach. I'm pretty chilled out and relaxed except when it comes to school, that stresses me out a little."

Harmony nodded.

"Huh, see you're the kind of girl I'd love to have as a best friend. Someone to get me focused on school but someone who also loves the beach as much as me. I'd live in my bikinis if I could." She smiled again and looked down at her outfit. "Oh wait, I practically do."

I smiled back at her, liking Harmony even more.

"So you got a boyfriend?"

The question stabbed me like a knife.

"I did. But he cheated on me." I blurted before I could think better of it. Talking to Harmony just came naturally, and I felt like I could say anything and I wouldn't be judged, so I continued. "He's been trying to get me back, to prove he loves me, and in a way I know he does but I'm still hurting."

Harmony nodded.

"So you think you and this boyfriend have a chance?"

I paused. Did I think that?

"Yes." I said aloud, before I was even sure if I did. "It's just going to take time to forgive him."

Harmony gave a small sympathetic smile.

"Listen her baby girl. Guys, they're gonna be assholes. Guys screw up, it's just what they do. My boyfriend and I have been together six years now, and for seven months out of those six years he had another girlfriend. I refused to ever forgive him when I found out and I spent the next three months convincing myself I didn't care about him, but I did. And so I gave him another chance. Best thing I've ever done. But I couldn't have done that if I didn't have friends to support me. And vodka, vodka helped a lot."

I couldn't help but laugh at her stab at humor.

"Speaking of the devil." She shook the orange juice with a mischievous look in her eyes. "Want some?"

My own eyes widened.

"Did you put vodka in that?"

Harmony giggled.

"Well duh! Tip #1 girl, always carry a flask."

"Yeah no thanks. I don't drink."

"Well now you're my friend, which by default makes you a drinker. I'm Harmony, by the way, but please don't call me that. I prefer Mony, which is what everyone calls me. Y'know, other than my dad."

I took the orange juice and, much to Mony's delight, forced down a sip.

"I'm McKenzie. Same deal, no one other than my Aunt calls me that. I go by Mack."

"Mack." Mony echoed. "Pretty."

Mony convinced me to take a few more awful sips, but after a little while I began to feel less depressed, less heartbroken. Mony seemed to become funnier and I just seemed to be a little happier.

"It's the vodka." Mony laughed when I asked her about why I was feeling that way. "Girl, in a break up, vodka's your best friend. Few more sips and you won't even remember you're ex-boyfriends name."

Forgetting Brady's name, just for one night, it sounded so tempting. Being completely free and happy with a girl who I had no dramatic history with having all the pain of what Brady did to me lifted off my shoulders, I couldn't resist the thought.

So as the night progressed I got happier and dizzier and the vodka even started tasting better. Occasionally I would slip upstairs so that Aunt Antoinette and Grandpa weren't suspicious, preparing to see them by drowning myself in Mony's perfume to cover up the alcohol scent, the task of working the bottle becoming more impossible and even funnier the more we drank, until the final time I did I left with both Mony and I in tears from laughing so hard.

My memory becomes hazier and hazier the further into the night I go, but the most I can recall is Mony's firm warnings not to socialize with my Grandpa and Aunt for more than three minutes or they'd know I was drunk, her insisting that I have the last spiked sip of orange juice, the gleaming look in her eye and a plan she told me that some small sober part of me knew was wrong, and being surrounded by the Wet Side Story gang on the beach.

**Ok guys review review review and while you review Ill get working on the next chapter so I can actually update on time!**


	14. I Love The Beach

**Ok guys so I know I said I would try and update twice in one day but I was so ridiculously tired yesterday I went to bed at 10.30pm! Now that might sound late to you but I'm a real night owl, and, well, I don't know I just think better at night I'm often up until like 10.30pm or 11pm on a school night and never am I in bed on a weekend night before 2am. I prefer to be awake while everyone else is asleep working on stories, doing homework, learning lines, reading etc. so for me to be in bed by 10.30pm on a SATURDAY should say a lot about how tired I was. Anyway, here is the update.**

Chapter Fourteen

Brady's P.O.V

I was out of breath by the time I'd finally ran all the way to the beach.

I'd spent the ten minutes waiting for Giggles to arrive picturing every awful scenario that I could find when I got there, pacing up and down in my kitchen. I'd hardly even said hello to the poor girl, just dumped her on the couch and told her to tell the kids she was the babysitter if they woke up. Jasmine often left random friends of hers in charge of the kids when she was supposed to watch them, so they were used to randomly walking out to find their older sibling gone and a strange teenager in their place.

Then I'd sprinted down to the beach fasted then I'd ever run before.

"Brady!" Chee Chee cried out when she saw me, jumping up and waving her hands.

I waved back and proceeded to run down the beach and to where I could see Mack lying in the sand, surrounded by Butchy, Lela, Tanner and Giggles. I couldn't tell if she was unconscious or not, only that she seriously looked like she could be dead.

I dropped to me knees in front of her to find her barely awake and absolutely reeking of vodka.

Her face was tear streaked and her body was physically trembling, clearly unsure of how to react in this new experience.

"Mack?" I whispered, knowing that people who had had way to much to drink can be totally out of it even if they're awake. "Can you hear me?"

Mack blinked a few times.

"I'm so sorry." She whispered. "For breaking up with you. I miss you. Can we make up?"

Clearly, Mack had absolutely no idea what she was saying, and that alone made me want to cry. Obviously she did miss me but was blocking out the love she felt towards me with the hurt I'd caused her, but the alcohol had torn down those walls and left her in a raw state of emotion, where all she knew was that she loved and missed me and at that moment that was all that matter.

Everything would change tomorrow when she sobered up.

"Come on." I urged, nudging her.

She shook her head.

"No." She argued. "I want to stay here. I like the beach. Mony likes the beach too."

"Who the hell is Mony?"

Mack shrugged.

"Dunno. Just know she likes the beach."

"Okay you need to go to bed. Come on." I tried again.

She looked up and smiled at me.

"Let's go swimming. Together. Come on. Come swim with me."

She made and incredibly rocky attempt to stand then fell straight back over again, and thank god I caught her.

"God Mack why did you do this?" I muttered, already knowing the answer. I hated myself more than ever for pushing Mack into a place where she felt like she had to be stupid and get drunk, like that was the only way to forget about me.

I scooped her up bridal style and she rested her head on my shoulder.

"I don't think my legs are cooperating right now." She giggled. "Carry me to the water. You're so strong."

I ignored her and turned to the others.

"Thankyou so much for bringing her home and looking out for her. I'll take it from here."

Lela sharply turned away when our eyes met, and I assumed word had gotten around and she'd either only heard that Mack and I had broken up and guessed she was the reason or Chee Chee had told her she was the reason.

"If you're sure." Tanner said, reaching for Lela's hand. She took his stiffly, like a mannequin.

"Positive. Goodnight guys."

The Wet Side Story gang waved goodbye and I turned and headed back up the beach with Mack, who had now fallen asleep in my arms.

We'd almost gotten to my house and my arms were so saw from carrying her limp body they felt as though they would snap off at any moment.

Just as we approached porch, Mack unconsciously dry reached loudly and straight away I put her down on her side so when she was sick she wouldn't choke.

She threw up all over the porch and my feet but I didn't mind, and patted her on the back until she was finished. Once she was, I scooped her back up, kicked off the soiled shoes and tossed them into the outside garbage bin and knocked on the door with my foot, not being able to open it with Mack in my arms.

Slowly, the door creaked open and Giggles cautiously peaked her head out then, seeing it was only me, breathed a sigh of relief and opened the door all the way.

"Is she alright?" She whispered, motioning to my unconscious ex-girlfriend.

"Nope." I said bluntly. "This is so out of character for Mack. I don't know why she would do it."

Except I did know, perfectly well, I just didn't want to admit I was the cause.

"I'm going to let her sleep here tonight." I continued. "On the couch. If I send her home the poor girl will get hammered by her Aunt. You can go home now. Thanks so much."

Giggles gave a small smile.

"The kids didn't wake up so it was no trouble really. I just hope Mack's ok."

"Yeah. Me too."

Giggles gave a tiny wave and jogged off the porch, carefully stepping over the puddle of puke.

I carried Mack to the living room and set her down on the lounge, then went to the cupboard to get a bundle of blankets and a pillow for her.

I slipped the pillow under her head and arranged the blankets around her, and as I lifted her right arm to tuck her in, I noticed the huge, red cut running the length of her forearm, painted with dried blood.

**Ok people the faster you review the faster I update! GO **


	15. Authors Note

**AUTHORS NOTE! **

**Due to upcoming tests and the school play in which I am swarmed with rehearsals for as well as my actual proper book I'm writing Corrupted which I'm doing for a young authors competition I wont be updating this story for a few days. Sorry! **


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